LAGOS, Aug 10, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Thirteen people burnt to death when a bus
burst into flames after a head-on collision with a digger near Nigeria’s oil
hub of Port Harcourt, police said on Friday.
“A pail loader (digger) skidded off the road and had a head-on collision
with an oncoming bus,” Rives state police spokesman Nnamdi Omoni told AFP.
He said the bus had left Port Harcourt for Lagos on Thursday morning with
the driver and 13 passengers on board.
“The bus went up in flames and all except one person were burnt beyond
recognition,” he said.
The survivor, who sustained severe burns, was taken to the hospital for
treatment.
Accidents are common on Nigeria’s poorly maintained inter-city roads due
to speeding, disregard for traffic regulations and the fact that many
vehicles are not road-worthy.
In June, 12 people died when a petrol tanker caught fire and exploded on
one of the busiest roads in Nigeria’s commercial hub, Lagos.